Alex Mitchell and Marcus Smith – England’s preferred half-backs – fit to face Ireland in Six Nations

England could finally deploy the half-back combination of Alex Mitchell and Marcus Smith against Ireland after both players were listed as full participants for training this week.

Mitchell and Smith continued their rehabilitation with the England squad last week in York, with assistant coach Richard Wigglesworth marking last Friday as a significant day for their recoveries.

That day must have gone well, with Mitchell (knee) and Smith (calf) now available to train this week, despite initial concerns that Mitchell could be ruled out for the rest of the tournament. “We’ll see how they go at the start of next week but we’re hopeful,” Wigglesworth said at the time.

As reported earlier in the tournament, England went into the Six Nations hoping to pair Mitchell and Smith at half-back with Ollie Lawrence and Henry Slade in midfield.

Lawrence returned against Scotland, Mitchell started the first two games against Italy and Wales but was injured in training, while Ireland would be Smith’s first game of the championship. Slade has been present throughout, meaning all four players are now available for the first time.

Other changes to the squad from the group that assembled in York include Northampton flanker Tom Pearson dropping out along with Bath centre Max Ojomoh and Bristol scrum-half Harry Randall.

Exeter’s Immanuel Feyi-Waboso returns to the squad having missed last week’s training days to sit an in-person medical exam at Exeter University.

Feyi-Waboso, 21, was a rare positive for England at Murrayfield with his debut try – and the young wing has also impressed Wigglesworth with his talents off the pitch, which include playing the piano.

“He loves to study,” said Wigglesworth. “He likes that part of it and part of that is the rugby and picking up things quickly because he likes to learn new things and wants to improve on what he is doing. That is obviously one of his drivers. For us, that is great because we know he has got the capacity and the willingness to do those things so if he misses something the next couple of days, he will actively make sure he is fully up to speed one day whenever he is in to make sure that isn’t a problem.”